Women outlive men, maternal deaths concern: WHO report

According to recently published World Health Statistics Overview 2019, women outlive men everywhere in health concerns such as life expectancy, road accidents, homicide, suicide, cardiovascular disease etc. The report was published by World Health Organisation (WHO) on the occasion of World Health Day (observed on 7 April).

Report Highlights

Life Expectancy: The average life expectancy for men and women combined globally has increased by 5½ years since turn of century — from 66.5 years in 2000 to 72 years in 2016. The healthy life expectancy (number of years lived in full health) has increased from 58.5 years in 2000, to 63.3 years in 2016.

Based on recent mortality risks boys will live, on average, 69.8 years and girls 74.2 years i.e. 4.4 years more than boys. Besides, life expectancy at age 60 years is also greater for women than men: 21.9 versus 19.0 years

Discrepancy to differing attitudes to healthcare between men and women: It can be seen from countries with generalised HIV epidemics, where men are less likely to takeHIV test than women and less likely to access antiretroviral therapy and more likely to die of AIDS-related illnesses than women. This same principle was also seen in tuberculosis (TB) sufferers, with male patients less likely to seek care than women.

Maternal Death major concern: Maternal deaths contribute more than any other cause to reducing female life expectancy. The risk of maternal death is hugely different between low-income and high-income countries. One in 41 women dies from maternal cause in low-income country as compared with one in 3,300 in high-income countries.